New AIA President Addresses State of Architecture

Article
Mar 14, 2011

FAYETTEVILLE,
Ark. — Architecture enhances people’s lives, and
the emerging
recognition of this effect is earning the profession newfound respect,
says
Clark Manus, the new president of the American Institute of Architects,
in the March 7 issue of The
Zweig Letter.

In
a wide-ranging
interview in the weekly management journal published by professional
services
firm ZweigWhite, Manus said that more than ever architects are seen as
“problem
solvers.” As such, he said he relishes the role of being part
of increased
dialogue and dynamic about the importance of design and the importance
of what
design can do.

“The
biggest importance
is really being the voice and the face for the profession,”
Manus, who is also
CEO of Heller Manus Architects in San Francisco, told TZL.

Manus
brought up the fact
that the economic crisis has impeded the ability of many projects to
take hold,
which is the main challenge facing the profession. He sees the
continued
evolution of Building Information Modeling and the growth of
collaborative
approaches such as Integrated Project Delivery as the biggest trends in
design,
which he believes will generate a “greater benefit in the
delivery of
projects.”

The
emergence of the
International Green Construction Code, in which the AIA has been
closely
involved, also will shift the baseline for the design profession, he
says. A
model IGCC code is expected by the end of 2011. Climate change and how
design
professionals can help craft solutions to deal with the alterations
already
underway is another major trend he identified.
“We’re really talking about
building efficiencies,” he said.

In
the interview, Manus
argued that architects need to enhance their value propositions to
survive and
thrive in the new economy. Concepts such as evidence-based design and
lifecycle
analysis will consequently become more common. “The fantasy
of not having
quantifiable data,” he said, “is a denier of good
design.”